Counterbalanced garage door



Jul 23, 1935.. v E. KEELS 2,009,348

COUNTERBALANCEJD GARAGE DOOR Filed Feb. 20, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //vVENTOR B Y Ham 4? Jicclg Jis A TTORME y Patented July 23, 1935 UNITEDSTATES AT.EN ,;oi-*FicE 3 Claims. (01. 20-19 The invention relates to acounterbalanced garage door.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, practicaland efficient counterbalanced garage door of strong, durable andcomparatively inexpensiveconstruction, adapted to slide upwardly andinwardly or rearwardly in its opening movements and which will beperfectly counterbalanced both in its sliding and pivotal movements sothat itmay be easily operated manually with the'slightest force'toopenor close. 2 a

A further object of the invention is toprovide a counterbalanced meansincluding a weight-receiving container and adapted without increasingthe number of guide pulleys to enable the weightreceiving container tobe arranged at either side of a garage and at either a front or rearcorner thereof or at any other convenient point.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means for enabling thegarage door to be shifted laterally slightly whereby to prevent anybinding of the garage door against the door frame .or other portion ofthe garage in theopening and closing movements of the garage door.

It is a further object of the invention to im prove the means forattaching the flexible cables to the weight-receiving container and toprovide a'connection adapted to permit the said container to be adjustedvertically. and also to permit a limited adjustment'for leveling thecontainer so that the container will set level or plumb in its verticalmovements. 1 With these" and other objects in view, theinventionconsists in the novel construction, combinationand arrangementof parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the. accompanyingdrawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended,- it beingunderstood that various changes in the'form, proportion, and minordetailslof. construction, within the scope of the claims, may beresorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any-oftheadvantages of the invention. 1 I

Inthe drawings:

- .Fig. 1 is an elevation of a counterbalanced garage door constructedin accordance with this invention, 'viewedfrom the inner face' ofthe-door and the'latter being closed. 5 l 1 Fig. 2 is a diagrammaticview illustrating .the arrangement of the counterbalanci'ng' means.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3- 3of-Fi'g.1'. v P i.

Fig; 4: is an enlarged detailv horizontal sectional view on'theline'44of Fig. 1.' I

Fig.5 is a: detail vertical sectional view of a portion of theweight-receiving container and the attached portions of the'flexiblecables.

Fig. 6 is a plan view1of the weight-receiving container. Fig. '7 is avertical longitudinal sectional yiew showing the counterbalanced garagedoor open and illustrating ianother arrangement of theweight-receivingcontainer. 1 f

, Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the counterbalancing meansillustrated in Fig. '7; V

In 1 the accompanying drawings, in whichyis illustrated the preferredembodiment of the invention, .I designatesa single piece garage door,which may be of any desired construction and of any preferred dimensionsand-which is provided at opposite sidesof its .central portion withapproximately U-shaped brackets 2 composed of spaced sidesand. aconnecting portion secured to the inner face of the garage door bysuitable fastening devices. -The sides of the bracketsZ are providedwith alined openings v3 for the reception of shafts or spindles 4 .and 5to which flexible cables 6 and 1 are connected. The cables extend upwardfrom the shafts 4- 2111615 to overhead pulleys 8 and 9 and from the 1said pulleys-to supplemental guide pulleys l0 and H whichgare locatedabove aWeiglit-receivingcontainer 12 adapted-to counterbalance thegarage door.

The flexible cables or'connections may be of any desired, constructionas will be readily understood and they are provided-at their terminalsI3 and I4 with suitableeyesreceiving the shafts 4 and 5 and preferablyformed by looping. the said terminals of the cables. The shafts areprovided with annular grooves I5 receiving the said eyes and adapted topreventflthe same fromsliding on the shafts 4 and 5 out of properposition. The shaft 4 hasa threaded inner portion l6 receiving nuts I1and H3 located at the opposite faces of the inner side ofone of theU-shaped brackets 2 and-adapted to adjust the garage door laterally, ashereinafter more fully explained, to prevent the, same from bindingagainst the-door frame. IS in the opening and closing movements of thesaid garage door. The supplemental overhead guide'pulleys' I0 'and llare located directly above the'vertically movable weight-receivingcontainer which may be placed ateither side ofthe garage door} at thefront thereof and changing from one side to the other itmerely-rethesupplemental guide'pulleys Ill and H to the trally pivotingthe single unit door, the latter being counterbalanced on said rollersto permit free pivotal or swinging movement of the single unit door,means for counterbalancing the weight of the door in the upward anddownward movement of the same, the shaft of one of said U- shapedhangers having screw threaded connection with such hanger so as toprovide for a lateral adjustment of the door with respect to the doorframe, and means for automatically tilting the single unit door when thesame is moved upwardly and downwardly in said vertical channel guides,the latter means comprising relatively short upper inclined channelguides extending upwardly and rearwardly from the upper portions of thevertical channel guides and closed at their lower ends with respect tothe vertical channel guides, the inner upper ends of said inclinedguides terminating short of the rear wall of the garage and short of thetop of the garage, hangers depending from the top of the garage andconnected relatively close to the inner ends of the respective inclinedguides to support the latter, and upper rollers carried by the singleunit door and operating wholly within the upper inclined guides toeffect the automatic tilting of the door when the same is raised andlowered and to effect support of the door when elevated in a horizontalplane extending partly within the garage and partly projecting therefromat the top of the door opening.

2. A pivotally and slidably counterbalanced garage door includingrelatively short vertical channel guides located atthe upper portiononly of the door opening of a garage and on opposite sides of the dooropening, a single unit garage door, a pair of hangers secured at thecentral portions of the side edges of the door, shafts mounted in saidhangers and extending beyond the sides of the door, a roller carried atthe outer end of each shaft and arranged in the vertical channel guidesand movable upwardly and downwardly therein and centrally pivoting thesingle unit door, one of the shafts having a screw threaded connectionwith the hanger in which it is mounted whereby to provide for a lateraladjustment of the door with respect to the door frame and the door beingperfectly counterbalanced on said central rollers to permit free pivotalor swinging movement of the single unit door, means for counterbalancingthe weight of the door in the upward and downward movement of the same,and means for automatically tilting the single unit door when the sameis moved upwardly and downwardly in the vertical channel guides, thelatter means comprising relatively short upper inclined channel guidesextending upwardly and rearwardly from the upper portions of thevertical channel guides and closed at their lower ends with respect tothe vertical channel guides, and upper rollers carried by the singleunit door and operating wholly within the upper inclined guides toeffect the automatic tilting of the door when the same is raised andlowered.

'3. A pivotally and slidably counterbalanced garage door includingvertical channel guides located at opposite sides of the door opening ofa garage, a single unit garage door, a pair of brackets arranged inhorizontal alignment and secured at the central portions of the sides ofthe door, horizontally aligning shafts vmounted in said hangers, aroller secured at the outer end of each of said shafts and'arranged inthe vertical channel guides and movable upwardly andsingle unit door,each of said shafts between the respective hangers and rollers having agroove therein, means for counterbalancingithe weight of the door in theupward and downward movement of the same including cables havingconnection in therespective aforesaid groove of the aforesaid shafts,one of said shafts having adjustable connectionwith the respectivehanger so as to provide for a lateral adjustment of the door withrespect to the door frame, and means for automatically tilting the doorwhen the same is moved upwardly and downwardly in the vertical channelguides, the latter means comprising relatively short upper inclinedchannel guides extending upwardly and rearwardly from the upper portionsof the vertical channel guides and closed at their lower ends withrespect to the vertical channel guides, and upper rollers carried by thedoor and operating within the upper inclined guides to effect theautomatic tilting of the door when'th-e same is raised and lowered.

HENRY E. SKEELS.

downwardly therein and centrally pivoting the r

